Ranchi: Jharkhand chief secretary Alka Tiwari on Monday asked the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) to expedite return of 756.94 acres of unused forest land acquired by Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL). She also asked the PSU and its entity — BSL to focus on providing employment opportunities to local youth by training them in various trades to maintain industrial harmony in its command areas. Following her extensive tour to Bokaro last week, Tiwari held a meeting with the top brass of the PSU in Ranchi on Monday to review its functioning and issues. The non-return of the unused forest land was among the key deliberations for which Tiwari instructed the company to first demarcate the area for smooth transfer. In the past, SAIL had agreed to return the land but it has not been implemented yet. “SAIL and the state forest department should work in tandem in this regard and form a coordinated team to first map the land so that the nature of the land parcels become clear to avoid any conflicts in future,” she said. The state forest department secretary Abubacker Siddique proposed that once SAIL demarcates the land, they can install pillar to prevent encroachment but said that the cost should be borne by the PSU. To this, the SAIL chairman agreed to pay the expenses. Additionally, the CS also gave instructions to resolve issues arising in the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor in coordination with the state revenue department secretary and directed BSL (SAIL) to take up immediate repair of the Garga Dam, and explore development of tourism options on its vacant land. Few days ago, Bokaro DC during his view found that some of the sluice gates of the Garga dam were non-functional, which is a cause of concern. During the meeting, discussion also centred around the issue of the displaced under BSL command area. “The CS instructed for a coordinated plan and a time-bound solution,” read an official statement SAIL chairman Amrendra Prakash suggested the govt to build houses on the acquired land where there is no scope for future expansion of Bokaro Steel City and settle the displaced there.
